Karen Tani
@kmtani.bsky.social
Penn Integrates Knowledge University Professor in Law & History @Penn. Co-runs the Legal History Blog. Researches/writes about law & modern U.S. history: civil rights, social welfare, disability, federalism, agencies, the state. Dog person.
Excited to welcome former @legalhistoryblog.bsky.social blogger @mitrasharafi.bsky.social back to the #LegalHistory blog for the month of August! Her first post is here: legalhistoryblog.blogspot.com/2026/08/10-t...
10 Things I learned while writing my (second) book
I am delighted to be back as a Legal History (guest) Blogger. My second scholarly monograph, Fear of theFalse: Forensic Science and the Law...
legalhistoryblog.blogspot.com
Legal History Blog@legalhistoryblog.bsky.social · 6d ago
"An extraordinary historical account of the untapped reservoir of congressional authority over elections." In Congress We Trust? by @proftolson.bsky.social, Coming Soon #LawSky #BookSky #PoliSci 🗃️ https://cup.org/3T3UPU8
In Congress We Trust?
Cambridge Core - American Studies - In Congress We Trust?
cambridge.org
From historian Margaret O'Mara: on "The AI attention-suck and writing as thinking" -- open.substack.com/pub/margaret...
Where the energy flows
The AI attention-suck and writing as thinking
open.substack.com
If a user asks about a topic you've published about, taught, etc, the LLM will not only find your article somewhere, but will recognize the author as a real person who serves on a faculty, teaches courses, has a title, etc. You're not just a bot, & your articles are not AI slop. You're an expert.
Upon reflection, often the very best people do it all. A triple threat of teaching, writing & service.
Separate Q: For those academics who have personal websites, has having a website, or the process of making/maintaining one, felt helpful to you? If so, how so? The answers to my earlier Q tell me I need to think more about what I am hoping this website will do!
Karen Tani@kmtani.bsky.social · 4d agoSerious Q for academics who have personal websites [I'm working on building one]. If service is a big part of what many of us do, why don't more websites have a "service" section? Are we devaluing this kind of labor by not acknowledging it? Or is it that we don't want to be asked to do more?
Serious Q for academics who have personal websites [I'm working on building one]. If service is a big part of what many of us do, why don't more websites have a "service" section? Are we devaluing this kind of labor by not acknowledging it? Or is it that we don't want to be asked to do more?
The William and Mary Quarterly forum on the recently discovered John Dickinson documents, revealing his previously unknown secret attempt to prevent the American Revolution, is now available online! The WMQ has generously made the issue open access for the next month. muse.jhu.edu/issue/57168
Given the boomlet of interest from the federal courts in history, this is an intriguing move on Penn's part and smart to lean in to their faculty' strengths in legal history.
Karen Tani@kmtani.bsky.social · last wk.One history-related course at the Law School, 3 in the History Department! Plus attendance at 4 History-sponsored events. www.law.upenn.edu/live/news/17...
Professor Christian Burset, a noted legal historian, has joined the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School faculty as Professor of Law www.law.upenn.edu/live/news/18...
Welcoming New Faculty
Legal historian and public law scholar Christian Burset joins the Penn Carey Law faculty.
law.upenn.edu
Over @penncareylaw.bsky.social, we recently launched a Certificate in History & Historical Research Methods (w/ @upenn.edu History). My wonderful former student Justin McCulloch was the first recipient: www.law.upenn.edu/live/news/18... #LegalHistory
Critical Knowledge, Lasting Impact
Justin McCulloch L’26 is the first Penn Carey Law graduate to earn a Certificate of Study in History and Historical Research Methods.
law.upenn.edu
🧵Now on SSRN: The Birth of the Minority Rights First Amendment examines the antislavery conception of free speech. Scholars who analyzed the 19c legal & popular traditions of free speech came to seemingly contradictory conclusions. I resolve the contradictions. 1/13 papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
The Birth of the Minority Rights First Amendment
<div> In recent years, First Amendment scholars have demonstrated that the founding generation’s understanding of expressive rights was majoritarian. This conc
papers.ssrn.com
Look whose faculty profile is now live at @penncareylaw.bsky.social! www.law.upenn.edu/faculty/cbur... I'm thrilled to have @cburset.bsky.social as a new colleague.
Christian Burset
Christian Burset is a legal historian whose research focuses on the British Empire and the early United States, as well as the implications of that histor...
law.upenn.edu
bookshop.org/p/books/just... look who is only $27.91 on @bookshop.org !
Justice for Jehanne: The Tale of a Medieval Survivor
A spellbinding narrative history that defies modern assumptions about women's lives in the Middle Ages and informs contemporary debates about sexual violence and the limits of justice In the winter of...
bookshop.org
I just posted my draft of this year’s Harvard Law Review #SCOTUS Foreword—“The Court Against the Courts.” It analyzes the challenges, obstacles, and threats district courts have faced in cases involving the Trump administration—and documents how & why the Court bears responsibility for much of it:
The Supreme Court, October 2025 Term Foreword: The Court Against the Courts
<p>The Supreme Court sits atop a judicial system on which it is deeply dependent. It lacks the capacity to superintend more than a fraction of the cases filed e
papers.ssrn.com
I’m so embarrassed that I started this book like, “UGH a canon text, let’s see what’s the fuss,” and now I’m quietly weeping with joy to myself and filled with goodwill and optimism toward humanity and its capacity to love. How dare you, Jane Austen!!!
Come be my colleague! American University's History Department is searching for a tenure-track assistant professor of science, tech and society. I am chair of the search and pleased to answer any questions either on here or email (grao at american) american.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/AU/job/Main-...
Assistant Professor
American University is a student-centered research institution located in Washington, DC, with highly-ranked schools and colleges, internationally-renowned faculty, and a reputation for creating meani...
american.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com
So I’ve started Pride and Prejudice, and already I feel bad for Mrs Bennet.
I can't seem to quote-repost it, but I urge you to check out the delightful thread by @trungles.com I just reposted, a running commentary by a first-time reader of Pride and Prejudice. It's really wonderful.
25 years ago, a Michigan district court embraced a bizarre theory about the limits on Congress's power under the Spending Clause—one that was quickly repudiated. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court's six Republican appointees quietly revived it while making it harder to enforce an array of federal rights:
Bonus 234: The Ascension of Westside Mothers
The Court's 6-3 ruling in Landor is likely the "sleeper" case of the term—a technical decision with massive, long-term, and ominous constitutional implications.
stevevladeck.com
This is a really good post by @stevevladeck.bsky.social on the significance of the Landor case, the further decline of private enforcement, and long-term trends in the Court's Spending Clause jurisprudence: open.substack.com/pub/stevevla...
Bonus 234: The Ascension of Westside Mothers
The Court's 6-3 ruling in Landor is likely the "sleeper" case of the term—a technical decision with massive, long-term, and ominous constitutional implications.
open.substack.com
Via H-Disability: a memorial for Richard K. Scotch: networks.h-net.org/group/discus.... I interacted with him only a few times, but he was incredibly generous, at one point sending me boxes of notes & interviews from his landmark history of Section 504.
Passing of Richard Scotch | H-Net
Sadly, Richard Scotch has passed away. He played such a key role in the development of disability studies and of SDS. I will always be grateful for his helpfulness and support, especially when I first...
networks.h-net.org
A new article highlights findings documenting how SSA staffing cuts, office closures, long waits, and technology barriers have made it harder for people with disabilities to access benefits they need. The article: bit.ly/4x043jL The report:
“In the last year, it’s gotten a lot worse” A Qualitative Investigation of Barriers to Disability Benefits in 2025 - DREDF
This report is based on interviews with 52 benefits professionals serving over 8,000 disability claimants nationwide. The independent research finds that recent Social Security Administration administrative changes have produced widespread access barriers, including longer delays, increased errors, reduced access to human assistance, and disproportionate harm to people with unstable housing, limited internet access, and cognitive or psychiatric disabilities.
dredf.org
Lots of legal history at the APHC conference this week--including a panel on the relationship b/w political history & legal history! Excited to participate.
Legal History Blog@legalhistoryblog.bsky.social · 2mo ago
Coming back to this while testing out different secondary source management options. I currently don't have any management system for secondary sources beyond good organization on my hard drive + storing notes in DevonThink. More thoughts on Zotero v. EndNote v. Mendeley v. alternatives like Papers?
Karen Tani@kmtani.bsky.social · 3mo agoHistorian friends: what are you using these days to manage sources & notes and make sure you know where everything is when it's time to write? DevonThink? Something else? I'm gearing up for a sabbatical and want to refresh my approach!
This conversation at the American Political History Conference this Friday was always important, but it gets more relevant by the day. 🗃️ Looking forward to talking with @jamellebouie.net @nikobowie.bsky.social @kmtani.bsky.social @stevevladeck.bsky.social @gauthamrao.bsky.social
Lawrence Hurley@lawrencehurley.bsky.social · 2mo agoBREAKING: Supreme Court allows Alabama to use congressional map that will eliminate a majority-Black district a lower court said intentionally discriminated against Black voters. www.nbcnews.com/politics/sup...
Volume 78’s final issue—Issue 6—is now live on our website! The Issue’s theme is APA at 80: What’s Next for Administrative Law?
